Foreclosures dipping in Lake County, but officials still concerned

Although the number of foreclosure filings in Lake County dipped slightly the past two years, elected officials and housing industry leaders say they continue to be a big concern.

County Commissioner Daniel P. Troy and Patricia A. Kidd, executive director of the Fair Housing Resource Center in Painesville, led an informal meeting Wednesday of the Lake County Foreclosure Prevention Task Force.

County Clerk of Courts Maureen G. Kelly said the average number of foreclosure cases filed in Common Pleas Court was 1,522 annually from 2006 through 2012.

That number peaked in 2010 when 1,752 cases were filed. In 2011, there were 1,596 cases filed and last year there were 1,579.

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Sheriff Daniel A. Dunlap said Sheriff's sales are conducted at a brisk pace and when homes are foreclosed upon, people continue to owe much more than what the home is worth, even more so than a few years ago.

"The county still is in a foreclosure crisis and it's still heading bad," Dunlap said.

When a property foreclosure is filed, it doesn't always mean it will eventually end up sold at a Sheriff's sale.

Records show that an average of 610.5 foreclosures occurred annually in the county from 2006 through 2011, and 283 occurred through the first six months of 2012.

Kidd said that her agency can help people with mortgage loan modifications when they have trouble paying a mortgage.

However, many people don't take advantage of services to get foreclosure assistance before it's too late, she said.

Adrienne S. Foster serves as a foreclosure mediator for the county and has around 400 cases. She works to get the parties together after a foreclosure is filed to see if there can be a solution other than a sheriff's sale.

Marley Eiger of the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland said her agency also is able to help people who may have problems due to foreclosure.

Officials warned people to be cautious of scams that make promises to help in exchange for money up front.

Task force members said they notice the main reason foreclosures are now filed is because people can't pay their mortgages due to job losses or medical problems, rather than unscrupulous loan practices.

When a home is neglected and becomes vacant, it can become a source of blight and potential trouble in a neighborhoods, Dunlap said.

Helping communities get rid of blight is one of the main missions for the newly formed Lake County Land Bank, Troy said.

Once the Land Bank accumulates a property, it can be held tax free, until the land can be put back to productive use.

The commissioner said the Land Bank should be up and running this year with plans to take advantage of the county's tentative allotment of $1.5 million from Ohio's settlement distribution from mortgage lenders.